I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf clubs. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting the loft and lie of a golf club. The apparatus comprises a fitting gauge for attachment to the shaft of a golf club, a bench to which the golf club is attached for adjustment, and a manipulating tool.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
The game of golf is a very ancient sport which has been perennially popular. The basic tool of this sport, the golf club, has undergone considerable change over the years. As the construction of golf clubs has changed, the golfer is now able to have a golf club that may be personalized to his height and stance.
Of particular importance in "personalizing" the golf club is the adjustment of the angular relationship of the golf club head with respect to the shaft. There are two particular characteristics regarding the relative position of the golf club head to the shaft that must be addressed. The first is the lie angle. This angle is the angle between the center line of the hosel bore and the ground line. This angle is determined at a point tangent to the center line of the base of the golf club head. The lie angle is important because if, for example, the club's sole is angled upward when the club head impacts the ball, the face of the club head will be aimed to the left of the medial line of the fairway. Naturally, the ball will travel in this left-of-center direction because that is the direction in which it is aimed. On the other hand, if the club's sole is angled in a downward direction, the opposite effect will be obtained. Specifically, the face of the golf club head faces to the right and, accordingly, the travel of the ball will go to the right of the medial line of the fairway.
The other angle of the golf club head relative to the shaft is the loft angle. The loft angle is the backward slant of the face of a golf club head. The greater the angle, the greater the loft of the ball after being struck by the club. While the loft of clubs often determines their angle in a conventional way, for example, a "six iron" has a greater loft than a "five iron", these degrees are not absolute. One golfer may use a "six iron" to achieve a certain degree of loft of the ball, whereas another golfer, using the same club, may achieve a different degree of loft. This is because the grip and stance of golfers differs such that upon impact of the club face on the ball, the loft angle may be different from one golfer to the other. Accordingly, this angle too must be personalized to meet the particular habits of the individual golfer.
In the past there have been attempts to provide systems for adjusting golf club heads relative to the shaft of the club. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,350 issued to Fincher, discloses an attachment that may be fitted to the face of the golf club head. The attachment includes a locator which defines an alignment ridge for insertion into one of the parallel grooves of the golf club face.
Observing the level indicated on the attachment while the golf club is in a resting position gives the golfer an idea of the direction that the golf club will direct the ball.
A somewhat more sophisticated combination shaft position indicator attachment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,706 issued to Marshall. This patent discloses a golf training aid that is attached to the shaft of the golf club and is used to indicate to the golfer visually the relative position of the golf club shaft itself to the ground. The relative position is determined by reading bubble indicators provided on the attachment.
A similar system is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,457 issued to Thompson. The system includes a golf club specially suited for the purpose of identifying certain head-to-shaft angles and has an adjustable handle and includes a gauge fitted to the approximate hosel of the golf club. The gauge is used to measure the position of the head of the golf club relative to the shaft.
While all of these accessories have some value in fitting a club to the golfer, none overcomes the problem of the lack of a reliable system that provides not only a method of measuring the optimum loft and lie of a golf club for a particular golfer, but also of thereafter allowing the particular club to be adjusted according to the preferred angles of lie and loft to meet the personalized needs of the golfer. Accordingly, prior approaches to adjusting the loft and lie angles to fit the individual needs of the golfer have failed to provide an efficient, convenient and accurate system or apparatus for making these adjustments.